Freak
by Flakeblood
Summary: He finally caught his own eyes, still a bright yellow, the vertical slits in them shrunken to almost round pinpricks. Monster. (Based around KH3 trailer(s))
1. Chapter 1

My love for the new trailer(s) exploded, and while exploring all the new fanart, I came across an incredible comic by le-hibou on tumblr. That's where this came from.

I could have waited and let my roommate beta this before posting, but... I honestly couldn't stop myself. So enjoy!

* * *

Vanitas walked down a corridor, footsteps loud in the silence. He hated this place. He hated every place, but this one was sterile, white, too bright. The only thing that made it bearable was the underlying darkness, the raw emotion he could feel stored here, below his feet. Fear. It radiated from the place.

He couldn't help the chuckle that slipped from him. This world may have something to offer him yet.

Well, besides his "mission," he did have one other thing he wanted to do. Sora was supposed to be his main target. Vanitas had been told-by a piece of his former master, no less-that the happy-go-lucky keyblader had the seeds of darkness growing in him. He had given in once, only to be rescued by his "friends." What a weakling.

Vanitas had seen Sora only once. A brief contact during Sora's trip into the dream world. It had been unsettling for Vanitas to see his own face; His own face, yet someone else's. At least that had cleared up where he had gotten it. Which brought him back to his own, personal goal.

If he had Sora's face, that had to mean the light wielder was the reason Ventus had survived all those years ago. And if Ventus was still in there… Vanitas felt a smile slip across his face, a parody of joy. He left his helmet off for a reason. Ventus already knew him, so there was no point hiding. Besides, he couldn't wait to see the look on Sora's face when he was confronted by the person he gave his face to.

Whether Sora remembered seeing him or not, light wielders always had such fun reactions.

If only he could pinpoint where they were. He paused for a moment, concentrating on the tugging in his half of the heart. There. It was faint, but he felt it; a light that both drew him in and repulsed him.

Turning, Vanitas pushed through a nearby door into a locker room. Ventus was close.

"I can feel you here…" Vanitas said, voice low and deliberate. Even though there was no response, he didn't doubt that his other half could feel him coming. His smile grew. "Ventus-"

He turned a corner into another part of the room and immediately stopped. A long mirror lined the wall above some sinks, reflecting back a clear image of the room, and Vanitas.

Horror struck, he couldn't move. Just stared at his face, eyes running over it again, and again. Some part in the back of his brain knew, knew that worlds could change wielders to suit them. But he couldn't take his eyes off the horror in front of him.

Colorless, dark fur covered his skin, his hair replaced by black… scales? Fins? His gaping mouth gave him a good view of his new fangs, and his head was framed by what looked like horns growing where his ears used to be.

He finally caught his own eyes, still a bright yellow, the vertical slits in them shrunken to almost round pinpricks. Monster.

That blue-haired master's voice rang in his head. _"You freak!"_ Vanitas clenched his hands to keep them from shaking. The voices kept coming back, over, and over. _Monster. Freak. Empty creature… At least I have friends! Nothing. You monster! How could you?!_

"No..." Darkness pooled in his fist, summoning his keyblade.

"I'm not a freak!"

He brought Void Gear down on the image in front of him, shattering the glass.

Breathing heavy, Vanitas just stared at the jagged hole in front of him. Blank, like his face used to be. He couldn't look at it anymore and turned away, using his free hand to summon his mask. Ventus would recognize him, regardless, so he could still taunt Sora. That was all that mattered.

Void Gear vanished into motes of black as Vanitas stalked away, pointedly avoiding reflective surfaces. Now, where was that coward hiding?

* * *

A/N: So, I may come back and do a thorough edit of this later. But lemme know what you thought of it. I just really wanted to capture a possible reason Vanitas was walking around with his mask again, and I can't help but really feel for my angry son, augh.


	2. Chapter 2

Remember how I said this was a one-shot? ...J-just kidding!

* * *

He'd found it, the source of all the fear. Somehow, this world's inhabitants had found a way to capture fear, and they used it as fuel for their entire world. Vanitas felt his mouth trying to stretch into a sadistic grin. This, he could work with. He grabbed an entire yellow canister, surprised that it was light enough to lift with one hand. Perfect.

Making his way back to the large workroom he passed through earlier, he felt the tugging on his heart reach a peak. Ventus was here.

"Finally," Vanitas said, voice low in annoyance, but eyes gleeful beneath his helmet.

The workroom was a large, open area, with high windows letting in soft moonlight. The main color was white, just like everything in the damned place, but this room was at least broken up by workstations and some odd machinery in the floor. Vanitas thought that might have been where fear was collected, but he couldn't bring himself to care about the 'how.' Not with Sora now in his sights.

The light wielder turned, and Vanitas stopped moving. For a moment, it seemed the world itself was frozen in time. Sora had changed, too. He had the same fur, his ears had changed, his hair was now red fins, and Vanitas was certain he would see the same sharpened teeth when Sora spoke.

Then Sora frowned as he glanced around, still searching for something, and Vanitas moved again. His helmet was on. Move on with the plan.

The dark wielder was intrigued to see that Sora was not surrounded by his friends. Hm. That would make things easier, since he wouldn't have to put up with any distractions. And he could always go after them later. Yes, that sounded like a good way to test out all this fear.

Before he reached the light wielder, Vanitas dropped the canister in his hand. It was unnecessary for this confrontation. The resounding clang drew Sora's attention, and Vanitas used some of his power over darkness to teleport behind him. The hero of light was still watching the fear canister as it rolled slowly towards him, and Vanitas could just imagine the stupid look of confusion on his face, the same one Ventus used to wear.

Summoning his keyblade, Vanitas walked right behind his target and leveled Void Gear at his chest.

"I need the half of me..." Sora gasped and turned as Vanitas spoke, giving him a view of wide, unbelieving eyes, "...That sleeps on inside of your heart."

Vanitas could mark the exact moment Ventus recognized him, seeing the astonished look turn into a fierce glare. Yes, that was the look he needed. His other half ready to fight, and merge, again.

"Vanitas!" Ventus yelled through Sora.

Vanitas just cocked his head. He felt his smirk widen again when Sora put a hand up to his heart, a confused "Huh? Wha...?" escaping him.

"Ventus," Vanitas acknowledged him with a breathy chuckle, lowering Void Gear. Sora's expression was flickering between confusion and anger, seemingly unable to decide.

Vanitas stalked towards the other keyblade wielder, watching as Sora tensed, eyebrows furrowing. "What a strange place to slither off to..."

He was so close. Vanitas could hardly hear over his own heartbeat, feeling his own beat in time with the heart hidden inside the boy right in front of him. Stretching out his hand, he thought he could almost touch it.

"You little fragment of my heart."

Sora scowled and batted the gloved hand away. "What do you want? Who are you?"

Vanitas stopped advancing, but Sora was still tensed from how close together they stood.

"Don't play stupid with me, Ventus, no matter how good you are at it."

"The name's Sora!" He cut a hand through the air in front of him, as though trying to dispel the other name.

Vanitas laughed. "Are you really that clueless?"

"Are you really with the Organization?" Sora shot back. Vanitas thought his grin might split his face. This light wielder really was interesting.

"Is this what's bothering you?" he asked, tilting his head as he gestured to the cloak he wore. "It doesn't change anything, Ventus. You know who I am."

"Yeah?" Sora gripped a hand near his heart, his face having settled on a scowl. "Then why are you wearing that mask? Too scared to show me your face?"

Thick, suffocating silence settled after that statement. Vanitas merely stared at Sora, holder of his other half, his smile gone. What would Sora think? _Monster._ Vanitas slowly raised his empty hand, settling it on his mask, fingers trying to dig in. Sora had relaxed, standing straighter as he stared intently, perhaps thinking he was about to see his enemy's face. _You freak!_ Vanitas noticed Sora had never summoned a keyblade. That was his own mistake.

With an enraged cry, Vanitas lunged forward with Void Gear, catching Sora off-guard and sending him flying backwards. The boy must have been more experienced than Vanitas first thought, since he managed to catch himself and stay on his feet.

Wide eyes looked back at Vanitas before he lunged again, his strike finally meeting with another keyblade. He laughed, knowing how unhinged he sounded.

"Yes, fight me Ventus!" He pushed harder against Sora, but was surprised when the boy showed a sudden burst of strength.

"No!" Vanitas slid back and immediately got into a ready position. "I won't fight you!"

Again, Sora seemed confused at his own words, brows coming together even as his eyes searched his cloaked enemy for any sort of answer. He wouldn't get any, as Vanitas simply charged him again, their keyblades clashing again and again, filling the air with metallic clangs and scrapes.

Vanitas dropped into the ground, becoming nothing more than a dark puddle before moving swiftly towards Sora. As he rose up through the darkness to attack, Sora lunged to the side. He was hit by some of the darkness that exploded out, but not Vanitas himself. As soon as Sora came out of his roll, he stepped back, his keyblade positioned defensively. Vanitas noted that he looked tensed to flee again, not attack. He lowered Void Gear and scoffed.

"Still pathetic I see, Ventus." He saw Sora gearing up for another retort, but cut him off, saying, "Do you think you can stop Sora?"

The boy in question froze, eye flicking rapidly over Vanitas. What he hoped to find, the masked boy didn't know.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked slowly. His grip on the keyblade didn't waver though, so at least he was a little smarter than Ventus. The very thought combined with Sora's question caused a bubbling feeling in Vanitas.

He laughed, loud and long, only amused further when Sora dropped into an attack-ready stance.

"How many worlds have you been to now?" Vanitas asked. "How often have you met with my master? And yet you still don't know?" He couldn't help another cackle from escaping him. Perhaps Sora was as clueless as Ventus.

"Your master...?" Sora mumbled, almost to himself. He straightened up to ask his next question. "You mean Xehanort?"

"Someone's been paying attention," Vanitas said, voice thick with sarcastic praise. He took pride in the way Sora's nose scrunched at the insult. "Yes, genius. Hasn't anyone told you about your prisoners yet? Or did you just forget?" _Like you forgot everything else_ , he thought.

"My... prisoners? Start making sense!"

Vanitas sighed in mock disappointment. "I always knew Ventus was a coward, but to think he wouldn't even tell you he rested in your heart." Vanitas pointed at Sora's chest, and was pleased by the way the light wielder's eyes widened.

"My-?" Sora took a hand off his keyblade to rest it over his heart.

Vanitas saw the opportunity and immediately dove at Sora. He was so focused on the feeling of his other half-right here right in front of him-that he didn't even see what hit him. Something heavy clocked him right in the head and sent him bouncing across the floor, screeching to a halt as he dug Void Gear's teeth into the floor. It was a good thing he had worn his helmet after all.

New voices sounded near Sora; though Vanitas had his eyes closed to fight off the sudden pain and dizziness, he was certain they were the weakling's friends. When he finally looked, he found he was right. And they all looked like monsters.

"Stay away from Sora, you Organization creep!" shouted the one-eyed duck.

"Guys..." Sora was looking at his companions with, ugh, gratitude.

Vanitas saw the yellow canister sitting between himself and the group, realizing that must have been what hit him, and the large, blue furred monster was the likely culprit. He huffed and stood up, trying his best to look like he was unfazed, even as small spots danced in the corners of his vision.

"Looks like you get off easy, for now." Vanitas dispelled his keyblade before making a dark portal. He stepped backwards to it, watching the group for any signs they were going to attack him. Surprisingly, Sora was the one to step forward, though he didn't leave his friends.

"What did you mean about Ventus? Who is he?" Vanitas chuckled.

"Don't worry, we're not finished yet." The portal closed over him, leaving nothing but inky darkness. "...Not until we're one, Ventus."

* * *

A/N: Okay, welp, I literally typed this up over a few days while at work, soooo. If there's any glaring issues I missed, let me know. Otherwise, just let me know what you thought of it! I tried to stitch together an idea for the events on the Monsters, Inc. world. Hopefully, it was entertaining and fun to read.

And now I'm done. For real this time.


	3. Chapter 3

Hmmm. I should stop making promises about being finished with anything related to KH.

But hey, you guys all left such nice reviews! Augh, I was blushing and screaming. Figured I should post my last headcanon, from Sora's perspective.

* * *

Sora walked purposefully where his news friends, Sulley and Mike, had pointed him. " _Straight down this hall, Scare Floor F, it's green,_ " they had told him.

This world reminded him of Halloween Town. Even though it wasn't celebrating the holiday, the inhabitants seemed to enjoy scaring, and all the monsters had cool forms. Of course, this world had its own reasons for scaring people as well, since they apparently used screams as fuel.

Sora wasn't sure what he thought of that yet, but Sulley and Mike were kind, even to Boo, the little girl that had wandered into this world from her own. Their actions told Sora all he needed to know, so he looked for the proper room while the others went to secure the keycard and clear out the wandering heartless.

The proper scare floor was easy to find, an emblazoned letter 'F' right next to the entryway. The floor itself was spacious, with a vaulted ceiling and large windows that let in light. Sora slowly entered the room, looking around for any enemies.

As though waiting for his thoughts, several heartless spawned around him, some variants of the world, as well as several soldier heartless. Sora summoned his keyblade and got to work. He almost danced around the battlefield, using the environment as well as the heartless to keep his momentum going. Soon enough, they were all cleared out.

After doing another look around, Sora let his keyblade disappear, vanishing in a burst of light. The room was echoingly quiet. Where were Donald and Goofy? They should have finished by now. Maybe the heartless were more numerous than they expected? Before he could go join them, he noticed the sound of footsteps separate from his own.

Immediately he paused, looking around silently for the owner, his time spent travelling the worlds giving him a sense for when things were... off. However, almost as soon as he stopped, the other footsteps did, too. The small echos made it sound like they were wearing shoes. None of his friends were.

Sora was going to call out to the mystery person when a loud clang stole his attention. Whipping his head towards the sound, he saw a yellow canister rolling towards him. Hadn't Mike mentioned these?

" _-And if you see any yellow canisters, don't touch them. Got it? That's where the screams are._ "

Hm. If these were so important, why was one just out in the open-?

"I need the half of me..." The sudden voice startled Sora, gasping as he automatically turned to face whoever had shown up. His eyes widened at the sight of a masked boy in an organization coat, still speaking. "...That sleeps on inside of your heart."

Though he knew he should be worried about the dark keyblade (keyblade?!) leveled at him, those feelings were pushed aside by a strange, burning tugging in his heart.

Sora gasped before exclaiming, "Vanitas!" Wait. Who was Vanitas? Sora made some confused sounds, trying to identify the feelings of recognition, loathing and... fear (guilt?) that were pouring from his heart. He had never met this member of Organization XIII, he was sure. Then again, he'd also thought that of Marluxia.

A soft laugh of "Ventus" from the masked boy stopped his thoughts. The boy-Vanitas?-lowered his keyblade and began to walk forward instead. Sora tensed, unsure what to make of it all.

"What a strange place to slither off to..." Vanitas said, reaching out with his free hand. Sora's heart was pounding, a painful, anxious rhythm in his chest.

"You little piece of my heart."

Regardless of his current feelings and how strange they were, Sora knew he didn't want this cloak-wearing boy any closer. He felt his jaw clench as he backhanded the gloved hand away from his heart. Even without that appendage there, the boy was still standing far too close.

"What do you want?" Sora demanded. "Who are you?"

He wanted to back away, but his feet felt numb, his gaze unable to leave his own reflection in the mask. The boy behind it was quiet for only a few, tense moments.

"Don't play stupid with me, Ventus, no matter how good you are at it."

Sora felt a righteous indignation at the comment, even though he knew, logically, it shouldn't have meant anything to him. "The name's Sora!" he corrected, slicing his hand through the air. The boy did not move back. Instead, he laughed, his head tilting to the ceiling.

"Are you really that clueless?" Again, Sora bristled.

"Are you really with the Organization?" Surprisingly, the boy did not respond to Sora's tone, instead shaking for a moment like he was still laughing.

"Is this what's bothering you?" The boy gestured to his black cloak. "It doesn't change anything, Ventus. You know who I am."

"Yeah?" Sora scowled. If he did, it wouldn't be half as confusing. Yet feelings twisted in his heart. Was this anything like the situation with Marluxia? The boy could be another member he had forgotten.

"Then why are you wearing that mask?" The burning in his heart grew. Sora thought he could almost feel it with his hand. "Too scared to show me your face?"

The silence was stifling. Sora stared at his reflection in the mask, thinking. This was a mistake. A gloved hand moved to block part of his reflection; the action stopped Sora from summoning his keyblade. The boy, was he going to show his face? Sora watched intently, a fluttering in his stomach sharply contrasting the harsh beating of his heart.

A scream startled Sora. He had only a moment to realize the boy had lept at him, keyblade raised to attack. A thousand thoughts went through Sora's head, surprise, fury, despair, but it was his acceptance that allowed him to move slightly to the side. Avoiding the blade edge, Sora was still knocked back, and he felt the bruising beneath his skin, but he avoided most of the damage. He righted himself, feeling the ground beneath his toes, and pulled at his core muscles to keep himself upright as he slid to a stop.

What happened? Sora supposed he shouldn't have been surprised-the boy was an Organization member, cloak and all-but he had felt... something. That's what was throwing him off. It really wasn't like Marluxia at all. The idea of fighting this masked boy was-

Another leaping attack from the boy-Vanitas, his heart supplied-cut off his thoughts as Sora instinctively summoned his own keyblade and blocked. Over the crashing and scraping of the locked blades, Sora heard desperate laughter.

"Yes, fight me Ventus!" Vanitas crowed. Sora felt the boy's keyblade bearing down on him. He felt an indignant heat spread through him, yet at the same time, he felt cold familiarity.

Using a burst of strength, he managed to push Vanitas away. "No!" he yelled.

The masked boy was in a ready position, and Sora's heart gave a small flip as he realized it was the same style Riku used. His mouth went to form the words 'I'm Sora!' or perhaps, 'Tell me who Ventus is!'

Instead, what came out was, "I won't fight you!"

Sora felt his brow crinkle. Why had he said that? He was prepared to fight any member of Organization XIII. It was part of his quest. So why did he feel terrified at the idea? The boy, Vanitas, there was something different about him.

When Vanitas charged again, Sora had to concentrate, forcing his body through the fear to meet each strike. Even when he found openings, his arms felt too heavy to strike back at the Organization member.

Suddenly, Vanitas broke off the attack. Sora might have found relief in that if the boy didn't then dive into a puddle of darkness. Sora braced himself as the dark being sped towards him. Heartless had some similar attacks; He was sure he could use that to his advantage and get some hits in on Vanitas. As the darkness boiled under him though, he was hit with a wave of panic. His shaking legs were barely able to push him out of the way of the attack. Sora felt dark tendrils lash at him before his roll took him out of range.

He came to a stop and whirled around, raising his keyblade in case Vanitas had continued his attack. He hadn't. Instead, the masked boy lowered his keyblade, making a sound of disapproval.

"Still pathetic I see, Ventus." Sora was getting sick of hearing that. Being a member of the Organization must mean calling your enemies the wrong name. Before he could say so, Vanitas continued, "Do you think you can stop Sora?"

A tingling feeling started at his heart and spread down his limbs. His own image looked back at him in confusion. Vanitas... was calling him Sora? But he also used Ventus. That couldn't be right. The only other within him was Roxas, his nobody. Sora's heart was telling him he was wrong, wrong, wrong, but he didn't know why. What did Vanitas know that he didn't?

Hesitantly, Sora asked, "What do you mean?"

The echoes of battle had long faded away, leaving Sora with only his breathing in his ears. The boy was unmoving for several moments, causing Sora to adjust his grip on his keyblade several times. He was startled by sudden laughter from the masked boy; Sora's instinctual reaction had him readying for an attack, though it only made Vanitas tilt his head as he laughed louder. It wasn't a happy thing, so despite how different it was from the chilling smirks of Xehanort's selves, Sora knew Vanitas was looking down on him.

The masked boy's amused tone remained in his next words.

"How many worlds have you been to now? How often have you met with my master? And yet you still don't know?" Sora would have been insulted by the resulting laughter-at his expense, no less-but he was still thinking about one of Vanitas' questions.

"Your master...?" he muttered to himself. There was only one person he had clashed with, over and over, in several guises. The man who had started the whole plot. Sora straightened up, keyblade pointed at the ground.

"You mean Xehanort?" he demanded.

That got Vanitas to answer, though he waved his free hand around sarcastically as he did. "Someone's been paying attention." Sora felt his annoyance rising again. All of his enemies seemed too dramatic, whether they were serious or flippant about it.

"Yes, genius," Vanitas continued, "Hasn't anyone told you about your prisoners yet? Or did you just forget?"

"My... prisoners?" Roxas had joined with him, and he was trying to find a way to save everyone who had been left behind or forgotten. Who was Vanitas talking about? "Start making sense!"

Vanitas sighed and shook his head like a disappointed teacher. "I always knew Ventus was a coward, but to think he wouldn't even tell you he rested in your heart." Sora felt his heart stop as the masked boy pointed at his chest.

That had to be what he was feeling earlier! His heart was trying to tell him about another friend that he had sheltered. So Ventus was in... "My-?" He rested a hand over his heart, trying to understand.

He felt an insistent tugging and looked up to see Vanitas in midair, reaching out for him. Sora barely had time to register this when he heard a grunt and watched something fly through the air to hit the masked boy. As he flew backwards, Sora turned to see his friends standing protectively beside him. Sulley panted, and his arm came down from its outstretched position to hold Boo. The little girl was giggling a little, but stopped when Goofy began speaking.

"Gawrsh, Sora, are you alright?" He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder as he looked his friend over in worry.

"I've never seen that guy around," Mike said. He stared at Vanitas, the boy still kneeling on the ground. "What's with the cloak?"

"Wak! It's them!" Donald shouted, jumping up in his shock. The exclamation must have gotten Vanitas' attention, because his mask turned to face their direction.

Donald glowered and stomped his feet in anger. "Stay away from Sora, you Organization creep!"

Everyone else must have felt the same, since on both sides of Sora, his friends tensed for a fight. "Guys..." He couldn't say anymore, but his heart was swelling.

A huff of frustration drew Sora's attention back to his attacker. With his friends by his side, he no longer felt the unexplained fear. He left his keyblade by his side.

Vanitas stood, moving deliberately, though it didn't hide the sway. "Looks like you get off easy, for now," he drawled. His keyblade disappeared in a swirl of shadows.

Sora felt something in his chest as a dark portal bloomed behind the cloaked boy. Anger and determination, yes. But also... Vanitas retreated cautiously, walking backwards to the portal; He still had the waver in his step. Didn't he have a way to heal?

Sora felt himself step in front of his friends, though he couldn't bring himself to close the distance to the portal. Vanitas hesitated.

"What did you mean about Ventus?" Sora asked. "Who is he?"

Vanitas simply chuckled, his helmet hanging down. "Don't worry, we're not finished yet." Then he was gone, the portal's inky folds evaporating before them.

"And good riddance," Donald muttered. Boo babbled and stuck her tongue out where the dark portal disappeared.

"You can say that again," Mike agreed, "Hope he never comes back. Hey, nice throw Sulley."

"Thanks, Mikey."

Goofy hummed. "Well, if the Organization is here, there must be something they want."

"Besides your friend, Sora?" Mike said, tone dry. Sora was snapped out of his contemplation of Vanitas, laughing sheepishly as he finally dispelled his keyblade.

"We fought 'em off once, and we can do it again!" Donald declared. "No matter what they want."

"Right," Sora agreed. "We can worry about him later. Don't we need to find Boo's door?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they began sharing their gathered information. Sora was listening, but a part of his mind was still stuck on Vanitas, and that feeling in his heart. A feeling of familiarity.

* * *

Well, I hoped all of you have enjoyed this as much as I have. We have so little to work on from the most recent trailer, but I tried to keep everyone in character. I feel like this is one (perhaps unlikely) possibility for the way things could play out. Plus Mikey and Sulley! Wow, they were so fun to write, even just for a few lines, hehe.

I also hope this better explained why a veteran adventurer like Sora was getting so thoroughly beat by Vanitas without fighting back.

Welp! Let me know what you thought of this one too. I get such a fluttery feeling in my chest every time I get a review. It almost makes me cry to see people enjoying what I've written. Ahhh. Later guys!


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